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| Suicide Bomb Hits Convoy Of an Afghan Candidate | Suicide Bomb Hits Convoy Of an Afghan Candidate |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bombing on Friday struck a convoy of vehicles carrying one of the candidates in Afghanistan’s presidential runoff election next week. The candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, escaped unharmed, but at least six other people were killed. | KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bombing on Friday struck a convoy of vehicles carrying one of the candidates in Afghanistan’s presidential runoff election next week. The candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, escaped unharmed, but at least six other people were killed. |
| It appeared to be the first direct attack on a presidential contender since the campaign began in January, Afghan officials said. | It appeared to be the first direct attack on a presidential contender since the campaign began in January, Afghan officials said. |
| The bombing took place shortly after noon, as Mr. Abdullah was traveling between campaign events at hotels in Kabul, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The police were still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but it appeared that there were at least two blasts in close succession aimed at Mr. Abdullah’s convoy. Mr. Sediqqi said the first explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, but the authorities were still trying to establish whether the second explosion was caused by a bomb hidden on the road or by a magnetic explosive attached to a car. | The bombing took place shortly after noon, as Mr. Abdullah was traveling between campaign events at hotels in Kabul, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The police were still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but it appeared that there were at least two blasts in close succession aimed at Mr. Abdullah’s convoy. Mr. Sediqqi said the first explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, but the authorities were still trying to establish whether the second explosion was caused by a bomb hidden on the road or by a magnetic explosive attached to a car. |
| The Interior Ministry said in a statement that six people were known to have died in the attack. It identified the dead as “civilians”; other officials said at least one of Mr. Abdullah’s bodyguards was among the dead. | The Interior Ministry said in a statement that six people were known to have died in the attack. It identified the dead as “civilians”; other officials said at least one of Mr. Abdullah’s bodyguards was among the dead. |
| Mr. Abdullah was traveling with Zalmay Rassoul, a candidate who did not make it past the first round of voting in April. The Abdullah campaign said Mr. Rassoul was not harmed in the attack. | Mr. Abdullah was traveling with Zalmay Rassoul, a candidate who did not make it past the first round of voting in April. The Abdullah campaign said Mr. Rassoul was not harmed in the attack. |
| “We were together, and a bomb hit our car; the car is destroyed,” Mr. Abdullah told supporters at a gathering shortly after the attack. “It didn’t hurt us, but a number of my guards were wounded. The injuries aren’t serious. The second bomb also exploded, but the first bomb directly hit our car. God save us.” | “We were together, and a bomb hit our car; the car is destroyed,” Mr. Abdullah told supporters at a gathering shortly after the attack. “It didn’t hurt us, but a number of my guards were wounded. The injuries aren’t serious. The second bomb also exploded, but the first bomb directly hit our car. God save us.” |
| Mr. Abdullah received the most votes in the first round of balloting in April, but not enough to avoid a runoff. He faces Ashraf Ghani, who received the second most votes, in the runoff election on June 14. The winner will succeed President Hamid Karzai in July. Both men are former ministers in Mr. Karzai’s government. | Mr. Abdullah received the most votes in the first round of balloting in April, but not enough to avoid a runoff. He faces Ashraf Ghani, who received the second most votes, in the runoff election on June 14. The winner will succeed President Hamid Karzai in July. Both men are former ministers in Mr. Karzai’s government. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on Friday, but suspicion immediately fell on the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on Friday, but suspicion immediately fell on the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country. |
| The Taliban carried out several high-profile attacks in the month before the first round of voting, including separate suicide assaults on a voter registration center and the headquarters of Afghanistan’s election commission. But the insurgents failed to disrupt the election, and there have been relatively few major attacks on the campaigns since then, though there have been reports of small-scale violence against campaign offices and workers in far-flung parts of the country. | |
| Still, it was widely expected that the Taliban would try to disrupt the runoff. | Still, it was widely expected that the Taliban would try to disrupt the runoff. |